During operation, the track and slide rails of a snowmobile are cooled and lubricated by sprays of loose snow that are generated during the normal operation of the snowmobile on loose snow.
In snowmobiles having liquid cooled engines, heat exchangers are often provided under the tunnel to take advantage of these sprays of loose snow. The sprayed snow makes contact with the heat exchanger and absorbs the heat from the coolant flowing in the heat exchangers. The sprayed snow also provides lubrication between the track and slide rails to reduce friction therebetween.
However, when a snowmobile operates on hard packed snow or an icy surface, there may be no spray at all, or if generated, the sprays are much smaller than those generated on loose snow. As a result, the track and slide rails are not cooled as efficiently as on loose snow. The reduction in snow being sprayed also increases friction between the track and slide rails which contributes to further heating of the track and slide rails and could even lead to premature wear of these components. In the case of snowmobiles having liquid cooled engines with heat exchangers provided under the tunnel, the absence of snow sprays also reduces the cooling efficiency of the coolant flowing in the heat exchanger as the heat transfer from the coolant occurs mostly via the cold air.
Therefore, there is a need for a device to generate a spray of ice or snow that can be easily deployed when needed, durable and effective with the snowmobile moving forwardly or rearwardly.